What would you be willing to give up for Kovalchuk?
 

We have/had discussion about this on the Wings board. Basically if NJ decided to go for a rebuild and with (claimed) financial problems they could be looking to trade Kovalchuk. I don't think Kovy would be very willing to be on a rebuilding team, either.

Wings would want him because we would get a Russian to play with Datsyuk and maybe Datsyuk would then stay here after he's contract ends.

But I think Wings don't have enough assets to get Kovy and there would be teams willing to give up more to get him?

So I'd be interested to hear; do you want Kovalchuk and how bad?

NJ wouldn't be happy with what I'd have to offer. Let's leave it at that.

Not the sexy answer you're looking for, but it really depends on the cap. If the cap stays high then I'd offer picks and prospects, but if it dropped it would have to be a lowball offer with Booth, Luongo etc.

Finding the cap would be pretty hard next year.

I don't know if Vignault and Kovalchuk are a real good match.

Kovalchuk would see a ton of minutes on our team.

Would be absolutely deadly on the PP with the Sedins, too.

We don't have the necessary pieces to acquire someone like Kovy IMO.

With rumours of Edler going...

Would love to get Kovy but, unfortunately, we probably don't have the assets to acquire him without dismantling the team. Best we could do would probably be along the lines of Schneider+Booth+Jensen+1st.

Why in the world? He's one of the strongest two-way players on the Devils.

It would be crazy for any team not to want Kovalchuk, I think. That said, I don't see the Canucks having the assets. The guys we want to trade are the guys that won't be useful in a rebuild. Our strongest piece of interest to them is probably Schneider and I don't know that I would be willing to trade him.

i'd imagine they'd want kassian + 1st + tanev + a roster player

I'd do Schneider + Kassian + pick. Or something like that. Maybe include Raymond as well.

Luongo

it starts with kesler and kassian and you add from there

its not happening

Luongo, Jensen and a first is the most I'd be willing to give up. Maybe switch the first with Edler if we are getting someone like Merrill back

Luongo, Edler, and a 2nd. But, Edler will walk before we can trade him.

Why in the world would they want Luongo if they're rebuilding and trading Kovalchuk?

If Kovy was 24 and had a lower caphit, I'd do that. But I don't feel like gutting our depth for him right now.

Wouldn't mind something around Kesler but I'd have thought New Jersey was fine with Elias, Zajac and Henrique already.

I don't think they want to have Elias playing center since he sucks on the face-offs. Don't think he has ever been above 46%. They've pretty much been forced to keep him there but I'm pretty sure they would switch him to the wing if they could. Hell, they've tried to take him off center before but they just don't have anyone else to take his spot.

Well I wouldn't do Kassian or Jensen but Kesler + Another Top Prospect + some more pieces on either side? I would be willing to do that.

I would do this only if we had the cap space though. A deal around Luongo would work for me as well (and would be a lot simpler).

Wouldn't move Kesler, but I'd be willing to move the young prospect pieces that NJ would want if they were rebuilding. Kassian and Jensen?

I would think long and hard about Schneider for Kovalchuk straight up. Maybe let us give them another salary (Booth, Ballard, etc) for a pick as well.

Luongo, Booth, Schroeder and a 2nd.

Exactly. Schneider is the only piece we have that they might be interested in making a deal around.